


What Apocalypse?

by disturbinglynic



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural
Genre: Crack, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-07
Updated: 2011-06-07
Packaged: 2017-10-20 05:28:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disturbinglynic/pseuds/disturbinglynic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucifer is free from the cage. Cas convinces Dean to go to Sunnydale because it's on the hellmouth, and a woman he met in heaven needs their help. Can Dean survive being around that many people? Will he ever get over his love of Cas? Is Sam really sleeping with Gabriel? Is Buffy really sleeping with a vampire? Does their group of people really have that interesting a dating history? And oh, there's an apocalypse or something going on. Can they stop it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>   
>   
>  Art done by [sucksucksmile](http://sucksucksmile.livejournal.com/)

Lucifer was free. The battle between heaven and hell, between brother and brother, had begun. They should be working on a way to stop him, but Cas wanted to go to some tiny town somewhere in California, because of a girl.

 

“Sunnydale? You want to go to a town named Sunnydale?”

 

“Yes, Dean.”

 

“What’s so special about Sunnydale?”

 

“Sunnydale is sitting on a hellmouth.”

 

Dean sighed. “Cas, I’m gonna need you to start from the beginning here.”

 

“This female that I spoke of, her name is Buffy. She is the slayer.”

 

“Slayer?”

 

“She is a vampire slayer. It is her birthright. She has strength beyond your own, and is extremely skilled in fighting and weaponry.”

 

“She sounds like my kind of girl.”

 

Cas gave him a pained expression. Cas was getting really good at the facial expressions. “She fights vampires and various other evil creatures. With the release of Lucifer, Sunnydale is experiencing an abnormally high level of supernatural phenomenon, including demons and creatures they have never encountered before. Particularly something claiming to be the First.”

 

“The first what?”

 

“The First. The First of all evil. The thing that even the dark fears. It is an incorporeal presence that can take the form of anyone that has died, including you, Dean. It is the personification of the concept of evil.”

 

“And you’re saying that all evil fears it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What about Lucifer?”

 

“He fears it as well, be he wants it under his control. Dean, we should all fear it.”

 

“Great, like we don’t have enough problems. So, this Buffy chick, she’s kind of like a hunter?”

 

“Yes, but her abilities are natural, whereas you had to learn yours.”

 

“You want to go to Sunnydale, so I assume there is more to this than the increase in the supernatural.”

 

“Yes, I believe her and her friends could help us.”

 

“What can they do that we can’t, and how do you even know her?”

 

“I met her in heaven.”

 

“Heaven?”

 

“Yes, but it was her friends that pulled her out of there. To be able to do something like that - yes, I think they can help us.”

 

“Why did they pull her out of heaven?”

 

“They believed she was in a demon dimension. So, Dean, will we go there?”

 

“Yeah, I think we should. If they’re that powerful, and we’re not too shabby either, then I think combining our forces would be a good thing.”

 

Cas smiled at him. “Thank you, Dean.”

 

Dean was easily convinced by Cas. He had a harder time convincing everyone else, but he managed, and now he and Sam were in the Impala with Cas, and Jo and Ellen rode in the truck with Bobby.

 

  


 

It was dark when they finally arrived in Sunnydale. They were meeting Buffy at her house, and they would be staying there for the duration of their stay in Sunnydale. It would be crowded, but it beat staying at yet another cheap motel. Better than that, it was free to stay at Buffy’s place. There would be a lot of people too, which would be good for Sam.

 

They were standing outside of the Impala now, him and Sam stretching, and Cas standing right by him, looking around, probably on the look out for any danger.

 

“Cas, are you sure about this?”

 

Cas turned to look at him, and Dean could swear that Cas looked exasperated. “Yes Dean, I am sure.”

 

“Well let’s go meet this Buffy then.”

 

They walked up to the front door, and Dean was about to knock, when the door opened.

 

“Oh! Perfect timing. I was just about to go on patrol, but that can wait now. Castiel, it’s so good to see you again.”

 

The girl, he presumed Buffy, walked up to Cas and actually gave him a hug, but what was more shocking was that Cas hugged her back. He clenched his jaw to keep it from hanging open, and balled his hands into fists at his sides. It wasn’t that he was jealous, it was just that Buffy and Cas seemed like the oldest friends in the world, yet Cas had only mentioned her when he was convincing Dean to come out here to Sunnydale.

 

Buffy pulled out of the embrace and turned to Dean. “And you must be Dean.” She was smiling at him, and really, she was very good looking, so he returned the smile. “I am. And this is my brother Sam, and this is Bobby, Jo, and Ellen.” He pointed to everyone as he said their names.

 

“I’m Buffy. Why don’t you all come inside, and you can meet everyone else.” She led them into the house, and Dean was surprised by the amount of people already there. “This is Xander, Willow, Spike, Anya, Tara, Dawn, and Giles. Guys, this is Dean, Sam, Castiel, Bobby, Jo, and Ellen.”

 

Everyone went around saying hi to each other. It was a huge amount of people for one house and he was beginning to regret agreeing to stay here.

 

“Spike, no!”

 

Dean whirled around to see Spike touch Cas and then pull his hand away like it had been burned.

 

“Bloody hell.”

 

“Sorry, Spike. I should have said something sooner. Castiel is an angel.”

 

“Angel? Where?”

 

“No, Xander. Angel isn’t here. Castiel is an angel.”

 

“Wait,” the petite red head interrupted. Willow he thought. “Are you saying that Castiel is an angel and that you met him while you were…”

 

She couldn’t finish that sentence. He supposed it was still a sore subject between them.

 

“Yes, I met Buffy while she was in heaven.”

 

That still didn’t explain to Dean why Spike didn’t seem able to touch him. “Cas is an angel. Great. We all got that. Now, can somebody explain to me what just happened to Spike?”

 

Buffy was the one who answered him. “Well, Spike is a vampire, and Castiel being an angel…”

 

“Spike’s a vampire? You’ve got to be kidding me.”

 

“I’m sorry, do you have a problem with me?” Spike was in his face now.

 

“Yeah, actually, I do.”

 

Buffy called out Spike’s name the same time that Cas called out Dean’s name. That didn’t stop Spike from punching him though, but then Spike had a hand to his own head and cried out in pain.

 

“Man, that was worth it.” Then Spike turned around and stalked out of the house.

 

“What the hell?”

 

Buffy sighed. “Don’t worry about Spike. I’ll explain about him later. Let’s get you and your friends settled in.”

 

Dean let the rest of his group get settled, but he went out to the back porch and sat down. There were too many people in the house for his liking. It was nice and quiet outside, and there was way more space.

 

He was outside for only a few minutes when he heard the door open behind him. It didn’t feel like Sam or Cas, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to anyone else at the moment. It was Buffy that sat down next to him. “I take it you’re not much for crowds either.”

 

“I’m really not. It’ll make Sam happy though.”

 

“Yeah, my sister, Dawn, she loves having this many people around.”

 

“But I guess you’re not one for crowds either.”

 

“Not so much these days.”

 

Dean could understand that. Well, not really, but if he had been ripped from heaven and had to live here again, he could see how being around people could be that much harder.

 

“Is it getting any easier?” Maybe he shouldn’t ask since he had only just met her, but he couldn’t help but wonder what she must be going through.

 

“Some days aren’t so terrible, but it’s hard. It’s really hard. I’m just going through the motions.”

 

“I have to ask, but you don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to. What about your friends? They’re the ones who ripped you out. How does that make you feel? How do you feel towards them?”

 

Buffy sighed. “It’s hard to hate them. They didn’t know. They thought I was somewhere awful. But at the same time, I think it was selfish of them. They couldn’t stand life without me so they didn’t even consider the option of me being happy. After all of the times I saved the world, and then dying to save the world, me being in heaven wasn’t really much of a reach.”

 

“You deserved it.”

 

“That I did. He talked about you, you know.”

 

Dean looked at Buffy, confused.

 

“Castiel. He talked about you while I was there.”

 

“Cas talked about me? Seriously?”

 

Buffy laughed. “Yes, he did. And quite often. He thinks very highly of you.”

 

Dean snorted in disbelief. “Yeah, sure he does.”

 

“You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but he does.”

 

Dean didn’t say anything to that, so they just sat there for a while in silence, which was nice. Buffy was the first to break the silence. “I was going to go on patrol when you guys got here. Castiel says you’re really good at what you do. Would you like to go with me?”

 

“Patrol?”

 

“Yeah. Basically, I walk around Sunnydale, the cemeteries in particular, and see if there are any vamps or demons that need to be killed. It’s either that, or join everyone inside.”

 

Dean stood up. “Patrolling it is then.”

 

Buffy stood up next to him, and he followed her out of the yard. It was a quiet night, and they seemed to be the only two people out, in spite of the early hour.

 

“So, do you do this every night then?”

 

“Pretty much.”

 

“From what I understand, from what Cas was telling me, you don’t really have a choice here. You have to do this, unlike me and Sam.”

 

“You and Sam were raised to do this, and you don’t know any other life, and you probably couldn’t let this life go, even if you wanted to. Me, on the other hand, well I had a perfectly normal life until one day in high school I’m told that I have some sort of great destiny to fulfill. In the end, I suppose we have a similar problem. The only thing really keeping me here is I know what goes bump in the night, and I can’t just leave here and let the vampires have the run of Sunnydale. I imagine you feel the same way. You know what’s really out there, and you can’t just let monsters keep killing innocent people.”

 

“You seem to know an awful lot about me. Cas really did talk about me a lot, didn’t he?”

 

Buffy smiled at him. “I told you he did.”

 

“You’re right though, with what you said. I think it would be nearly impossible to live a normal life knowing what I know.”

 

They were walking through the cemetery now, and before Buffy could answer him, a vampire jumped out at them. Dean was all ready to help Buffy, but he stood mesmerized. Cas had been right about her. You would never guess by looking at her, but she was incredibly strong. She had great instincts and she was a skilled fighter. Dean could fight, he knew that, but he paled in comparison.

 

Cas appeared next to him.

 

“Cas, man. You were right about her. She’s incredible.”

 

Cas looked at him, and Dean could have sworn that Cas looked hurt. But whatever it was that had flashed across his face was gone now, so Dean wasn’t sure.

 

“Dean, I have some things to attend to. I’m not sure how long I’ll be.”

 

“Wait, you’re leaving? Cas?”

 

He saw Buffy kill the vampire in the background and turn towards them, and then Cas was gone.

 

“Where did Castiel go?” Buffy asked, walking up to him.

 

“I don’t know. He said he had some business to attend to.”

 

“Did he say when he’d be back?”

 

“No, he didn’t.”

 

Dean was staring at the spot that Cas had been standing in.

 

“Hey,” Buffy said, laying a hand on his arm. “Why don’t we head back to the house, yeah?”

 

Dean stopped staring at the space that Cas had been occupying and looked at Buffy. “Yeah, okay. Let’s do that.”

 

  


 

He was glad he had showered the night before because there were so many people in the house, and they were all trying to shower this morning.

 

He was tired and cranky. He hadn’t slept well.

 

Buffy and Willow were already in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. He muttered his thanks and took a stack of pancakes to eat.

 

It didn’t take long for the kitchen to fill, and he noticed that Cas hadn’t shown up this morning. He hoped that Cas wouldn’t be gone for too long. He kind of liked having Cas around.

 

He ignored morning conversation until Sam sat down next to him. “Where did you disappear to last night?”

 

“I went on patrol with Buffy. You should see her fight. She’s incredible.”

 

“Maybe I’ll go with her tonight then.”

 

“Did I miss anything last night?”

 

“Not really. People were just getting to know each other. That’s all. Where did Cas go?”

 

“I don’t know. He said he had some business to attend to and then he just vanished. Do you know what the plans are for today?”

 

“Nope. Not a clue.”

 

“We’re going to the magic shop to start our research,” Buffy informed them.

 

“The magic shop?” Sam asked.

 

“Yeah. Giles owns it. It’s called The Magic Box. Anya works there too. It’s where we keep all of the books that we use to do research.”

 

  


 

They had been at the magic shop for a few hours doing research, when the conversation turned to their past relationships. It all started when Sam wondered where Cas was. Dean was trying to focus on the boring text in front of him, so he didn’t really think before he spoke. “Don’t know, but I wish he was here.”

 

Sam sighed beside him. “My brother has gone gay for an angel.”

 

“I have not.”

 

Sam snorted. “Yeah, okay.”

 

Xander, who was sitting next to Sam, spoke up. “It’s okay. My best friend Willow here went gay for a witch.”

 

Willow smiled and leaned over to kiss Tara. “I sure did.”

 

“I’m not gay for an angel.”

 

“Yes you are, Dean. It’s okay though because Castiel is in love with you.”

 

Dean looked at Buffy with disbelief. “Cas in love with me?” He snorted. “I seriously doubt that. There is no way Cas would fall for someone like me. Not that I have feelings for him or anything.”

 

“Come on, Dean. You being with an angel isn’t any stranger than me sleeping with a demon.”

 

“You slept with a demon? I’m marrying an ex-demon.”

 

At least Xander seemed happy about it instead of ashamed, which was how he knew Sam felt about what he had done.

 

“I also slept with a werewolf,” Sam added helpfully.

 

“Oh, hey! Me too.”

 

He was a little surprised. Willow didn’t seem the type.

 

“I also dated an Incan mummy girl and a giant insect.”

 

Dean couldn’t suppress a chuckle at Xander’s dating history, but then Buffy chimed in. “I’ve slept with two vampires.”

 

“Yeah, and I slept with a robot.”

 

He hadn’t even heard Spike come in. He must have come in through the back door.

 

Buffy looked at Dean. “You being in love with an angel kinda sounds better than everything we’ve done.”

 

Dean just stared with his mouth hanging open. Sam was laughing beside him, and Cas chose that moment to appear.

 

“Castiel, we were just talking about you.”

 

Cas looked at Buffy and tilted his head. Before anyone could say anything else, Dean spoke up. “We were just wondering where you had gone and when you’d be back.” He glared at Buffy. “Yeah, that was it, Castiel.”

 

“So Cas, did you accomplish whatever it was you needed to?”

 

“Actually, I brought another person to help.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Deano! Sammy! How the heck are you guys?”

 

Dean and Sam looked at each other. “Uh, Cas, what is he doing here?”

 

“You know Gabriel?”

 

“Gabriel?”

 

“Wait,” said Sam. “Are you telling me that this is Gabriel? As in the archangel Gabriel?”

 

“Got it in one, Sammy.”

 

Dean was pissed. The trickster that had given them hell was actually an archangel, which meant that there was nothing that he could do about it. Sam didn’t look pissed though. Actually, he was looking at Gabriel in awe, like he was the most amazing thing ever. That just pissed Dean off even more. He headed to the back room were Buffy said she had a training room. He took out his anger on the punching bag. He hadn’t been at it for long with Cas joined him.

 

“Dean, is there something bothering you?”

 

“I’m fine, Cas.” He kept punching the bag, and Cas just stood there watching him. Dean punched the bag until he felt his anger start to fade.

 

“Dean?”

 

“What is it, Cas?” he asked, not looking at him quite yet.

 

“How is it that you know Gabriel?”

 

Dean sighed and looked at Cas. “We didn’t know him as Gabriel. We knew him as a trickster. We’ve come across him twice, and the second time we did, he put us in some sort of time loop. Every day we would wake up, and every day I would die and Sam had to watch. When we demanded he stop the time loop, I lived through the day, but was killed the next. He forced Sam to live without me for six months. It was his twisted idea of a lesson for Sam.”

 

“You are more bothered by this than Sam is.”

 

It wasn’t a question. “What do you mean?”

 

“Sam and Gabriel are out there talking and laughing.”

 

“Sam forgave him? Damn it.”

 

“He wants to help us, Dean.”

 

“Are you sure he doesn’t just want to make mine and Sam’s life miserable?”

 

“Dean, he wants to help, and right now we could use all of the help we can.” Cas walked out of the training room to rejoin the group, leaving Dean alone again. He started beating on the punching bag again. He wasn’t very good at research anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Research was pretty much all they did. They had been in Sunnydale for a few weeks now, and he had seen more than enough of the magic shop, and they still hadn’t found anything to help them against Lucifer or the First. The time he wasn’t spending at The Magic Box, he was patrolling with Buffy, or using her training room. He had gotten to know Buffy pretty well, and a couple of years ago he would have definitely made a move. It was obvious she was hung up on the vampire, Spike, and Dean, well he had Cas in his life now, even if he could never have Cas.

 

Everyone always seemed to be in a better mood than him, and everyone else was getting along better than him. Sure, he had bonded with Buffy, but only over their jobs. Sam and Xander had bonded over their dating history, and Sam had also bonded with Willow over their dating histories. They weren’t all business the way that he and Buffy were.

 

While Sam was becoming best friends with Xander, what really surprised Dean was how close Sam and Gabriel were getting. If he had to wager a guess, he would say that Sammy was developing feelings for the archangel. He couldn’t see how Sam could stand the guy, and he definitely didn’t approve. Not of the archangel part, because let’s face it, Dean didn’t have room to talk considering his feelings for Cas.

 

He could deny them all he wanted to everyone else, but he couldn’t lie to himself. He wanted Cas like he had never wanted anyone before. He had freaked when he figured out his true feelings for Cas, and had nearly gotten himself killed because of it. On top of that, he was shocked by just how strong his feelings were, and for an angel no less, a male angel at that.

 

Well, not really. Angels didn’t have a gender, it was just Cas’ vessel that was male. And being even more honest with himself, and shocking him even more, he would love Cas either way, but he wouldn’t want Cas in a female vessel. Not now, and not if he had a choice. He often wondered, probably too often, if he would be as attracted to, or love Cas as much if he had been in a female vessel. He couldn’t know for sure, but he didn’t think he would. There was something very appealing in Cas being a male.

 

At least he could trust Cas though. He just couldn’t trust Gabriel and couldn’t see how Sam was all of a sudden so trusting of him.

 

Cas appeared beside him, interrupting his thoughts, not that Dean could be mad about that when Cas was standing in front of him.

 

“Are you going on patrol with Buffy tonight?”

 

“That’s the plan.”

 

“You and Buffy have become close.”

 

Dean shrugged. “I guess, but mostly we just talk about her slaying or my hunting.”

 

“I would like to join you on patrol tonight.”

 

“Sure Cas. I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but you should probably check with Buffy anyway.”

 

Cas was gone from his side in an instant, leaving Dean alone once again, something he was all too familiar with.

 

  


 

They were walking ahead of him and they were laughing. Buffy never laughed with Dean, at least not like that, and neither did Cas. Dean had never experienced such a high level of jealousy in his life, and he hated it. He and Cas got along just fine, but Buffy had known Cas in heaven. That was something that Dean would probably never get to experience, and even if he did, it would hopefully be many, many years in the future. Or, it might be really soon if they didn’t figure out a way to stop Lucifer.

 

He was so busy paying attention to Buffy and Cas that he didn’t notice the vampire behind him until it was too late, and he was already laying on the ground, the vampire having given him a good knock to the head.

 

Damned Buffy and her damned abilities had her staking the vampire before he could even get off the ground. She held out her hand for him, but he ignored it.

 

“You okay, Dean?”

 

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

 

Cas was looking at him curiously, and it was amazing how Dean could tell Cas’ facial expressions apart when there was so little variation.

 

“I think I’m gonna head back to the house. Why don’t you two just finish up the patrol yourselves.” He turned around and walked away from them before either of them could answer.

 

He shivered as he walked back to the house himself. It was colder in Sunnydale than it should be. It was hard to believe that supernatural beings could affect something like the weather, but here was proof of that.

 

He decided to take the long way back to the house, choosing to walk around Sunnydale instead. The town was quiet, eerily so. The supernatural presence, which was always strong here, was even stronger now, and people had noticed. The town was pretty much empty.

 

He was standing in front of the high school that Buffy and her friends had destroyed their senior year. Dean had heard all of Buffy’s best stories, and he had told her some of his best too.

 

He felt an angelic presence next to him, but knew it wasn’t Cas because, well, he just knew it wasn’t Cas. He turned his head and found a smiling Gabriel looking at him.

 

“What do you want?”

 

“Baby brother tells me that you don’t like me very much, Deano.”

 

“So?”

 

“So, you don’t have to like me right now, Dean, but if you want to get in my brother’s pants, then you need to at least get along with me because it’ll make him happy.”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

 

Gabriel snorted. “Please, anyone with half a brain can see you’re in love with him.”

 

“And what about him?”

 

“My brother is so busy being in love with you, that he doesn’t have half a brain to spare, so no, he doesn’t know.”

 

“And why would you offer me up this helpful piece of advice?”

 

Gabriel moved so they were standing face to face. “Because whether or not you believe it, I care about him, and if you’re what he wants, then I’m going to help him any way I can”

 

It was Dean’s turn to snort. “There’s no way Cas wants me or is in love with me.”

 

“I see you don’t have half a brain either,” and with that, he was gone.

 

Dean sighed and headed for the house. He didn’t believe Gabriel. He couldn’t believe that Cas would be in love with someone like him. There were better humans out there than Dean, and Cas deserved someone like that, not him.

 

The house was, of course, full, and he really wished he and Sam had gotten a motel room so it would at least be just him and Sam. He could deal with Sam being around. Actually, with nobody left in town, he could probably get himself a motel room anyway.

 

He started packing a duffel when Sam interrupted him.

 

“Dean, where are you going?”

 

“I’m gonna grab a motel room for a night or two. I need to get away from this crowd.”

 

Sam nodded. “I’ll go with you.” Sam started packing his own duffel.

 

“You know, Sammy, I am a big boy. I can stay in a motel room all on my own.” He ducked, laughing, as Sam tried to smack him in the head.

 

“Bitch.”

 

“Jerk.”

 

He would never admit it, but it warmed his heart to know that despite everything that had happened to them, he and Sam were okay. He didn’t know what he would do without his brother.

 

Dean headed for the Impala, but Sam stopped him.

 

“Dean, why don’t you just leave it here for a night or two, and let’s just walk.”

 

“Her.”

 

Sam rolled his yes at him, and Dean grinned. “If you call her a her, then I’ll leave her and we can walk.”

 

“Dean.”

 

Sam was playing at being exasperated, but Dean knew it took a lot more than that. “Come on, Sammy. Respect the car.”

 

Sam rolled his eyes again. “Fine. Dean, why don’t you leave her here for a night or two. I’m sure she’ll be fine with everyone here.”

 

He really didn’t want to but he nodded, and they headed for a motel. A couple of Buffy’s friends had tried to stop them from going, but Dean was adamant. He needed some time away from the group.

 

The motel, like Dean had expected, had been empty. They found a room with a couple of beds, and settled in like it was just any other hunt. They were alone for about two minutes when Gabriel and Cas appeared in the room.

 

Dean groaned. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

 

It was Cas that got in his face. “In case you haven’t noticed, Dean, the end of the world is close, and Gabriel and I would like to make sure you stay safe. What were you thinking coming out here by yourselves? The whole town has left because they can feel the unnaturally high levels of supernatural activity, and the two of you decide that _now_ is the time to spend a couple of nights by yourselves.”

 

Dean’s jaw was hanging open, and he backed away. Gabriel and Sam were snickering behind Cas. “Sorry, Cas. So I guess you guys are staying here then?”

 

“That’s right, Deano. You and Sammy are stuck with us tonight.”

 

They wound up playing cards even though Gabriel cheated and they all knew it and he didn’t even bother hiding it. They had fun and Dean was actually kind of glad that Cas and Gabriel had decided to show up. At least he was until it was time for him and Sam to get some sleep.

 

“So, what? Are you guys just going to hover over us while we’re sleeping?”

 

Gabriel grinned and snapped, and was now standing in front of them in a pair of pajamas. Pajamas with pictures of various sweets all over it. He looked over at Cas and saw that he was wearing a pair of pajamas too. His were covered with farm animals all over them. Dean looked down at himself. His pajamas had unicorns and princesses on it, and when he looked at Sam, he saw that Gabriel had given Sam a pair of pajamas with little ghosts all over them. Dean couldn’t suppress his groan.

 

“I don’t know about you, little brother, but I plan on making room for me in Sammy’s bed.” Gabriel waggled his eyebrows and Dean wanted to punch that stupid smile off of Gabriel’s face. He hadn’t even realized he had moved until he felt Cas’ hand on his shoulder.

 

“If I were you, brother, I’d hop into bed with Dean.”

 

Cas’ grip on him tightened, and he realized he had once again moved towards Gabriel.

 

“Let it go, Dean.”

 

“Cas, he’s getting into bed with my little brother.”

 

He watched as Gabriel slid in next to Sam, and how he draped an arm across Sam’s body. Sam was watching Dean, his eyes begging for forgiveness, for not telling Dean, for being with Gabriel even when he knew how Dean felt about him. Dean looked away and got into his own bed. Cas sat on the edge of the bed, just sat there, and Dean knew he would all night, watching over Dean. He sighed. “Get in, Cas.”

 

Cas got up and pulled back the covers, laying down on his side of the bed, staying there, making sure to keep himself away from Dean. It was tense and awkward, and Dean wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them, but he forced himself to keep still. He was surprised when he found himself beginning to fall asleep, and his last thought before he was pulled under was him wondering if Cas had anything to do with it.

 

  


 

He was wrapped around a warm body, and he himself was warm and content. He didn’t want to move. Then he remembered where he was and who was in his bed, in his arms. He shot out of bed, knocking into the nightstand as he did. Sam and Gabriel appeared from under the covers, and Dean really didn’t want to know what they had been doing under there.

 

Cas was getting out of the bed and heading towards Dean. Dean didn’t say anything. He raced into the bathroom and locked the door. He turned the shower on cold, stripped off his clothes, and got in. The cold did nothing. He was still aroused at having woken up pressed against Cas. He was going to have to take care of the problem himself.

 

He took himself into his hand and he went instantly to his favorite jerk off fantasy. Cas was between his legs, his lips around Dean’s cock. Dean had a hand in Cas’ hair, holding Cas still while he fucked his mouth. He hated himself for having such depraved thoughts about his angel, but he couldn’t help himself. Like always, the fantasy was so vivid in his mind, it didn’t take long before he had to stuff his fist in his mouth to stifle the cry of release.

 

He quickly changed the water to a more suitable temperature, and finished his shower. When he walked out of the bathroom in his towel, it was just Sam in the room, just like it had been so many times before.

 

“Where did they go?”

 

“Cas vanished, completely hurt by your actions, and Gabriel left to go and find him and try to cheer him up.”

 

Dean chose to ignore most of that sentence. “The shower is all yours.” He walked over to his bed and began pulling clothes out of his duffel, listening to Sam mutter under his breath. He would have left for the magic shop without Sam, but he didn’t want to get yelled at by Cas again, so he stayed put.

 

It seemed like forever before Sam was finally done and they were heading to the shop. Sam didn’t say a word to him, and Dean was glad when they finally reached the shop, and there were other people around.

 

Gabriel and Cas were missing from the group, and Buffy asked him where Cas was.

 

“What am I, his keeper? How the hell should I know?” He stalked off to the training room and began beating on the punching bag. He had worked up a good sweat when one of the angels finally appeared. He could feel that it wasn’t Cas, so that mean it was Gabriel.

 

“What do you want, Gabriel?” He continued hitting the punching bag when he heard Gabriel snap. He was swinging a punch when the bag disappeared. He stumbled forward, right into Gabriel, who was standing there, arms crossed.

 

“Just how stupid are you, Dean?”

 

Dean didn’t say anything, he just glared at Gabriel. “If the two of you can’t figure this out on your own, I’m going to lock the two of you in a closet, and don’t think I won’t.” He vanished, and Dean left the workout room to try and help with the research.

 

He spent the day reading through boring texts, trying to not fall asleep. Nothing he found was useful.

 

Cas appeared at sunset, right before they were getting ready to leave. He was talking to Buffy, and then they left together, probably to patrol. Dean gritted his teeth and made a snap decision to follow them. He followed them all the way to the cemetery. They sat down and talked, and Dean just had to listen in.

 

“I just don’t understand why he ran off like that.”

 

Cas must’ve been talking about what had happened that morning. Dean had to suppress a groan. He seemed to be doing, or wanting to do, a lot of groaning lately.

 

“Castiel, Dean is a human. I’ll bet you anything that he thinks he doesn’t deserve you. He probably feels that you’re too…pure, too special.”

 

“Are you sure you are talking about Dean?”

 

Buffy laughed. “Yes, Castiel, I’m talking about Dean. He’s definitely in love with you. It would be different if you were human, or some sort of lesser being than an angel.”

 

“I love him, Buffy. Why can’t he see that?”

 

Dean’s breath caught. Buffy laid a hand on Cas’ shoulder. “You two will get there, Castiel. Don’t worry.”

 

“He loves you, you know.”

 

Buffy looked at Cas, the confusion apparent on her face. “Spike, I mean. I know you don’t believe him, but he is telling the truth.”

 

“How? He doesn’t have a soul.”

 

“I know, but he does, and I know you love him too, and Buffy, that’s okay.”

 

Buffy sighed. “We’re an interesting group, aren’t we?”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“The world we live in is so different from everyone else’s and it shows. Xander is marrying an ex-demon, Willow and Tara are witches and lovers, I’m in love with a vampire, and Sam and Dean are in love with a couple of angels, and those are just the most recent relationships.”

 

“You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

 

“No, I suppose you can’t.”

 

If Cas was really in love with him, and it was much easier to believe hearing it from Cas’ own mouth, then there was no reason he shouldn’t act on it. Well, other than the fact that Cas was an angel and deserved better than him. Still, now that he knew for sure how Cas felt, then maybe it was time for one of those chick flick moments that he hated so much.

 

He walked over to where Cas and Buffy were sitting. “Buffy, mind if I talk to Cas alone?” She smiled at him and got up, and so did Cas.” He’s all yours. I’m going to finish my patrol.”

 

He and Cas started walking, Dean leading them in the direction of the motel.

 

“You were listening.”

 

“I was.”

 

“Is what Buffy said true?”

 

Dean sighed and stopped, moving to stand in front of Cas. “It is. All of it.”

 

Cas gently pushed Dean into walking again. “Dean, you deserve more than you think. You are not the terrible person that you see yourself as. The bad things that you do are to save people, to help others. There is no selfishness in anything you do. Awful things have happened to you and your loved ones. You deserve some happiness. I don’t understand why you don’t believe that.”

 

“It’s not how I was raised.”

 

“Dean-“

 

“Don’t Cas. Let’s just not talk right now.”

 

It was hard hearing Cas’ words, hard hearing that kind of praise. It wasn’t how his father had raised him. Dean had been a soldier, and while he knew that his father had loved him, Dean had still been _just_ a soldier. Sure, his father had been proud when Dean had killed his first demon, and in various other incidents, but it wasn’t the same as what Cas was saying to him now. How could Cas see him in such a good light?

 

They reached the motel and Cas silently followed behind Dean. There was a tension in the air that hadn’t been there before. He didn’t know if Cas would make the first move or not, but Dean didn’t think Cas should have to. He walked the few steps that were between them and took Cas’ face in his hands. He kissed him gently and Cas made a pleased sound and wrapped his arms around Dean.

 

Dean was surprised when he suddenly found himself lying on the bed with Cas on top of him. “Cas?”

 

“I’ve been talking to Gabriel.”

 

Dean groaned and rolled them so that he was lying on top of Cas. “I’d rather you didn’t take instruction from Gabriel for our first time. Just let me take care of us tonight.” Gabriel was probably pretty kinky, and while that would be fun for later, that wouldn’t do for tonight. “Oh, and speaking of Gabriel, should we be expecting them to walk in on us at any minute?”

 

“No, I’ve let Gabriel know that they need to be somewhere else for the night.”

 

“Good.”

 

He leaned down and kissed Cas again. He planned on taking his time for this, wanting to make it worthy of what Cas deserved. He deepened the kiss, groaning when his tongue finally touched Cas’. Cas was sloppy, but eager, and a fast learner, and soon Dean was losing himself in the kiss.

 

He could have just continued kissing Cas the rest of the night, but Cas began shifting restlessly underneath him, searching for something that he didn’t understand. He pulled out of the kiss and raised himself up to his knees, straddling Cas. He undid the tie and tossed it to the side. He unbuttoned Cas’ shirt and made him sit up so that he could slide the trench coat, suit jacket, and shirt off. He slid them off, having to tug the trench coat from underneath Cas’ body, and threw them onto the floor with the tie.

 

Dean smiled and leaned back down to give Cas a quick kiss before moving down to his neck. The urge to mark his angel, to claim him, overwhelmed him, and he found himself sucking a bruise on Cas’ neck, enjoying the gasps and moans that Cas was making.

 

Satisfied with his work, he moved down to Cas’ chest. He licked at a nipple until it was pebbled, then took it into his mouth and bit gently. When he started suckling it, Cas bucked beneath him, and he smiled around the nub in his mouth. He began his ministrations on the other one, rolling the one he had just abandoned between his thumb and his forefinger. Cas’ hands were on his head now, urging him to continue, writhing beneath him.

 

When he had teased Cas enough, he kissed his way down the rest of Cas’ body, stopping when he reached the top of his pants. He undid them and slid them down, along with the boxers, pausing long enough to tug off Cas’ shoes and socks. He stood up when he was done, intending to take his own clothing off, but he stopped when he caught sight of Cas, naked on the bed. His breath caught in his throat.

 

He must have stood there staring for longer than he realized, because Cas spoke up. “Dean? Is everything all right?”

 

Dean swallowed hard. “Yeah, sorry. Everything’s fine.” He quickly divested himself of his clothing, grabbed the lube he kept with him out of his bag, and lay back down on top of Cas, tossing the tube of lube next to them.

 

Dean was a little nervous now. All his experience with sex left him useless in this situation. He’d never been with a guy before. He was at a loss, so he leaned down to kiss Cas, because kissing was kissing, and that he could do.

 

Cas rocked up against him and their erections brushed together, causing them both to groan. Without breaking the kiss with Cas, he began a slow rocking motion against Cas. It would be so easy to just come this way, he was already so close, but Cas deserved better his first time. He stopped the rocking, breaking the kiss, and slowly, tentatively, reached a hand between them and took hold of Cas. It was the only dick he’d ever had in his hand besides his own, so he did what he knew, what he liked.

 

Cas closed his eyes, his mouth open, his face completely slack, obviously enjoying what Dean was doing to him, and Dean liked that. He liked knowing that he could bring his angel so much pleasure, and he wanted to give him more. He removed his hand and slid down Cas’ body. Slowly, he licked a strip of Cas’ cock, swirling his tongue around the head, catching the bead of pre-come at the tip.

 

He gripped the base of Cas’ cock in his hand and slid it into his mouth, but it was too much too fast and he gagged. He came up coughing, and when he was done, he tried again, but much slower this time. Cas bucked up into Dean’s mouth and Dean used his free arm to sling it over Cas’ hips and keep him in place.

 

He tried to mimic what girls did to him that he liked, and he must have been doing a decent job, because in between gasps and moans Cas kept calling out his name, his hands gripping and twisting the sheets at his side.

 

Dean had no warning before Cas was coming into his mouth. Dean managed to not gag, and even swallowed. He pulled off and looked down at Cas in his post orgasmic haze. It was nice to see his angel looking so incredibly debauched. Hell, it was nice to see him look anything other than how he always did.

 

Dean covered Cas’ body with his own, gently pressing kisses around Cas’ face as he waited for him to come down from his orgasm. Cas finally opened his eyes and smiled up at Dean. “Cas, I need to be inside you now. Can I fuck you?”

 

“Please.” Cas was begging him for it, was as desperate for it as Dean was.

 

Dean grabbed the lube and slicked up his fingers. He teased along Cas’ hole until he was whimpering and begging Dean for something more. Dean complied, slowly working a finger inside of him. He knew he couldn’t hurt Cas, but he wanted to do this right anyway. Cas deserved no less.

 

Dean slowly worked his finger in and out a couple of times before slipping a second one in beside it. He stretched Cas’ hole, rubbing his fingers against Cas’ prostate, eliciting a curse. He nearly stopped what he was doing. He looked at Cas, who looked wild with passion, not believing that that word had just slipped from the angel’s lips.

 

“Dean.” Cas’ voice was clear and strong despite his obvious need. “Stop teasing me already.”

 

Dean gave himself a mental shake and grabbed the lube again. He slicked himself up and lined up his cock with Cas’ hole, still not believing that he was about to do this with Cas, finally. He looked down at his angel, taking in the sight before him. It took his breath away, and wasn’t that just a girly cliché.

 

He pushed in, one thrust, all the way in. They both groaned and Dean stopped moving so that he wouldn’t come just then. When he felt like he had himself back under control, he began moving. He started slow, but Cas wasn’t having that, and now the headboard was banging into the wall with the force of Dean’s thrusting.

 

Cas came before he did, but only just.

 

Dean lay on his back, recovering, and Cas threw an arm and a leg around him, and snuggled in close. He was in bed with Cas, his angel, finally, and nothing else in the world mattered.

 

  


 

It was daylight out, he knew, but the curtains were drawn and he and Cas were under the covers, and he never wanted to move.

 

“Do you think anyone would miss us for a day?”

 

“Dean, we should go help everyone.”

 

“It’s not like I’m helping. I spend most of my day in Buffy’s workout room.”

 

Cas didn’t say anything, and he wondered if he was actually considering staying in bed all day, because that would be awesome.

 

“Maybe not all day, but I suppose we can be late.”

 

Dean smiled and pulled Cas closer to him. “Cas?”

 

“Yes, Dean.”

 

“Did you mean what you told Buffy? Do you really love me?”

 

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

 

Dean sighed and pressed his nose into Cas’ neck. He could feel Cas’ hand running up and down his back, and Dean couldn’t ever remember a time when he had felt so content.

 

“Cas,” he mumbled into his neck, “how long have my brother and Gabriel been sleeping together?”

 

“Just a couple of days.”

 

“How come nobody told me?”

 

“Because you still dislike Gabriel.”

 

“Does he make Sam happy?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Dean didn’t reply, he just let that sink in. He really didn’t like Gabriel, and it bugged him that Sam was sleeping with him now, but if he really did make Sam happy, then Dean supposed he could try to like him. He was better than Ruby, after all.

 

“I suppose I can give him a chance.” He didn’t have to see Cas’ face to know that the angel was smiling.

 

“He and Gabriel are happy for us.”

 

“I’m happy for us. I hope we find a way to stop the apocalypse because I want more days like this.”

 

“Dean, we’ll find a way. We have the best people working on it.”

 

“Maybe we should get out of bed and go help them.”

 

“I think that’s a good idea, Dean.”

 

They got dressed and headed to the magic shop together. The group was hard at work when they walked in. Everyone looked up at them, some snickered, some smiled, but they all went back to what they were doing without saying a word.

 

Dean sat down and began pouring through the books, but was distracted by Gabriel and Willow talking to Buffy and Giles. It looked important. It looked like they might have found something. Even if it wasn’t a big thing, it was still better than nothing. He watched, and waited, hoping they would share their news soon. He forced himself to pay attention to the book he had open in front of him. He stared at the book, no words penetrating his brain. Thankfully, Willow, Buffy, Gabriel, and Giles were heading towards them.

 

“Guys,” Buffy said excitedly, “We have a plan.” The sounds of books slamming shut filled the room. “So, Lucifer wants Sam, and we’re going to give him Sam, and before you say anything Dean, let me finish.”

 

Dean closed his mouth and sat back in his chair, crossing his arms. He glared at Buffy. “This had better be good.”

 

“We know a guy who can make a robot to exactly replicate a human. He made one of me, and we don’t need to get into that story, but it was able to fool everyone. If we get the Sam robot to say yes to Lucifer, we might be able to work a spell to bind Lucifer to the robot, and then shove him back in his cage. So research isn’t quite over yet. We need to find a spell to bind Lucifer to the robot. I’m going to go have a talk with the guy who builds the robots, Warren.”

 

She was gone before anyone could say anything. “Sam, are you okay with this?”

 

“Yeah, I think it sounds like a good plan. Well, it’s the only plan we have, so we may as well give it a shot.”

 

“I don’t like it. Something could go wrong and something could happen to you, Sam.”

 

“Dean, I want to do this. If this has any chance of working, then I think we should try it.”

 

“Sam, I’m not risking you.”

 

“It’s my choice, Dean.”

 

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and it calmed him immensely. He pulled out from under it and whirled around to face Cas. “Why can’t you just let me be angry?”

 

He stalked off to Buffy’s training room to do his new favorite activity, hitting the punching bag. He didn’t get a chance to even start though when Cas joined him.

 

“Cas, I just want to be left alone.”

 

“Dean, the decision belongs to Sam. We are all here to protect him, but he needs our support in this, especially yours.”

 

“I can’t lose him, Cas.”

 

“I know.”

 

Cas surprised him by walking up to him and hugging him. Dean returned the hug, resting his chin on Cas’ shoulder. He didn’t cry, wouldn’t cry, but this comfort thing wasn’t so bad. He could get used to it. He knew his secrets would be safe with Cas, and he knew Cas wouldn’t tease him or think any less of him if he showed a little weakness.

 

Suddenly, Cas pulled away from Dean. He was just about to protest when Gabriel appeared in the room, and Dean understood what Cas had done. Cas knew that Dean wouldn’t have wanted Gabriel to see him in an embrace with Cas, not when what had happened outside of the room was the lead in to it.

 

“Dean, I have to steal my baby brother for a mission.”

 

“For how long?”

 

“Not sure.”

 

“To where?”

 

“Not really sure yet.”

 

“So you need Cas for a mission that you don’t know how long it’s gonna take, or where you are even going. And I’m supposed to be okay with this?”

 

“Doesn’t matter if you are okay with it or not. Cas has to come with me. He’s the only one that can help me.”

 

“Dean, I will be fine. You do not need to worry.”

 

“Don’t worry, Deano. I’ll bring him back in one piece.”

 

Dean glared at Gabriel, and then they were gone. Just like that. Dean was alone in the room for only moments before Sam joined him.

 

“Gabriel and Cas take off?”

 

“Yeah. Do you know where they were going?”

 

“Nope. Gabriel wouldn’t talk.”

 

Dean nodded.

 

“Dean, I need you to be with me on this.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I just want you to be okay.”

 

Sam smiled at him. “Dean, are we having a chick flick moment?”

 

“Shut up.” He glared at Sam, but Sam just laughed. “Bitch.”

 

“Jerk.”

 

And just like that, everything was okay between them.

 

“Sam!” Buffy burst into the training room. “Come on. Warren is going to make the robot, but we need you to go to him now. I’m going to take you there.”

 

Sam took off with Buffy and Dean thought he was alone again, but Spike walked in. Why couldn’t people just leave him alone?

 

“So, you finally shagged your angel.”

 

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

 

“We had a bet going about when you two would finally do it.”

 

Dean threw a disgusted look Spike’s way and walked out of the room. The magic shop was practically empty now that they had a plan formulated. Everyone was off making preparations. Without Buffy, Sam, or Cas, he didn’t see any point in staying around here. It was still light out, so he stopped by the motel to pack his and Sam’s things. He didn’t want Cas to yell at him again because he was staying in the motel room alone.

 

He made the walk back to Buffy’s house, gave his baby a pat, and walked into the house only to find it empty. Not much better than an empty motel room, but at least people should be back here at some point.

 

He found some leftover chicken and heated it up. He ate alone at the table. He was used to having people around now, and it was just too quiet here. He had actually been enjoying having people around, well, at least until it was time for bed anyway. Maybe after they stopped the apocalypse they would spend some time here in Sunnydale. It would be nice to spend some time with everyone when the end of the world wasn’t looming over their heads.

 

He decided to shower now while nobody was around, this way nobody was waiting around to get into the bathroom. He turned the shower hot and let it run down his body, soothing his sore muscles. He thought about what had happened last night and smiled. He couldn’t believe that Cas was actually his now, that Cas actually wanted him, that Cas actually loved him.

 

He was definitely not a novice when it came to sex, but that had been the best sex he’d ever had. Just thinking about it was getting him hard again. Nobody was in the house. He may as well do something about it. He poured some shower gel into his hand and began stroking himself.

 

“You know,” a voice from behind him said. A hand joined his on his cock. “You shouldn’t have started without me.”

 

Dean leaned his head back against Cas’ shoulder, an arm wrapping around his body. “Didn’t know when you’d be back.” Dean let his hand drop so that only Cas’ hand was stroking him. He moaned as Cas sped up his hand a bit. “Did you and Gabriel accomplish whatever it was you two needed to do?”

 

“Yes, but if you’re still talking, then I must be doing this wrong.”

 

“You’re doing just- oh.”

 

Cas had tightened his grip and had run his thumb over the slit. Dean stopped talking, stopped thinking, and enjoyed what Cas was doing to him. It was so new with Cas, and so good with Cas, that it didn’t take long before he was coming. He stayed leaning against Cas as he caught his breath, then he turned around and shoved Cas against the wall. He got to his knees and took Cas into his mouth. It was easier than it had been the first time. He paid attention to what made Cas gasp, and what made him moan. He filed it away for later, for all of the other times he would do this for Cas, so that he would know exactly how to drive him crazy.

 

It didn’t take long for Cas to spill into his mouth, and he drank down every last drop eagerly. When he stood up, Cas was leaning against the wall, eyes closed, and a smile on his face. Dean leaned in to kiss him gently, and Cas wound his arms around him, pulling him in closer. They kissed until the water started losing heat and Dean forced himself away from Cas before the water got too cold to shower in.

 

He could feel Cas’ eyes on him as he showered, and he wondered if they would get a chance to go again before people started showing up, but when he got out of the shower, he could hear people talking downstairs. He got dressed quickly and headed downstairs, Cas following closely behind.

 

Everybody in the group seemed to be back, and either in the living room, or the kitchen. He could smell popcorn being popped.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“Movie night,” Dawn answered.

 

“So, we’re facing an apocalypse here, but we’re going to take a night off for movies. Not the best strategy I’ve heard.”

 

Dawn shoved a popcorn bowl at him. “We deserve a break. Now take this popcorn and go sit down with your boyfriend.”

 

“I guess we do have to wait for the robot to be built.”

 

“Yes, now go.” Dawn shooed him and Cas out of the kitchen.

 

“Geez,” he muttered.

 

They were sitting on the couch, Cas pressed right up against him, when what Dawn had said finally registered.

 

“Boyfriend?” They had only hooked up for the first time last night, and now Cas was being called his boyfriend? How had that happened? Cas was watching him, his head tilted. “Dean?”

 

“Yeah, Cas.”

 

“Is there something wrong with that word?”

 

“I just…isn’t it too soon?”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“Nevermind.”

 

Cas continued to look at him, so Dean turned away and tried to ignore it. The room filled up quickly, and the first movie started. A chick flick. He supposed they had enough horror in their lives that they didn’t need to see it in a movie too. He didn’t pay attention to the movie. Instead, he looked around at everyone in the room.

 

He and Cas were sitting pressed together on the couch, and next to them, Spike and Buffy were sitting together, close, but not as close as him and Cas. Sam and Gabriel were squashed together on the chair. Except that they weren’t really squashed because Gabriel was kind of sitting in Sam’s lap. Jo and Dawn were right in front of the television, completely caught up in the movie. A few chairs had been brought in, and that’s where Giles, Bobby, and Ellen were sitting. The three of them looked bored. Xander and Anya were cuddled together on the floor in front of him and Cas, and in front of Buffy and Spike were Willow and Tara.

 

You would never guess that they were in the middle of trying to stop an apocalypse. Everyone looked so happy and peaceful. Maybe a movie night really was what they needed.

 

Sam and Gabriel had stopped watching the movie and were now making out in the chair. Dean really did not want to see that, so he tried to focus on the movie. He figured it was the lesser of two evils. He didn’t get was so great about the movie though. The two main characters were sending e-mails back and forth. Boring.

 

Willow and Tara were whispering and giggling together, and now Anya was nuzzling at Xander’s neck. The adults were talking amongst themselves now, obviously not interested in the movie at all. Jo and Dawn seemed to be the only ones really paying attention to the movie, actually.

 

They should probably all be off doing their own thing if they really wanted to relax, but there was safety in numbers, and nobody wanted to leave anyone alone.

 

Next to him and Cas, Buffy was now laying in Spike’s arms. Only him and Cas hadn’t changed their positions, or started talking. They were exactly as they were when they had sat down. He tired to focus on the movie again, but he was distracted by Cas’ warm body next to his. The group around him, they would tease him, yeah, but nobody actually cared, In fact, most everyone here had encouraged him to start something with Cas. Screw it.

 

He pulled Cas to him and kissed him. Dean sighed happily against Cas’ lips. He felt the world around him fade away, and soon it was just him and Cas. It had been a long time since he hadn’t gone past the making out point, and he’d forgotten just how much fun it could be to kiss someone. It was more than that though. He’d never been in love before, not like this, and kissing Cas was a completely new experience. He wanted to spend more time just doing this. There was no urgency to progress things beyond kissing. That was definitely something that Dean had never experienced before. His tongue tangled with Cas’. Cas had already perfected the art of kissing, and he had already figured out exactly what to do to make Dean moan.

 

Someone cleared their throat and the lights were flicked on and off. Dean and Cas pulled apart to see Giles and Bobby standing by the light switch. A quick glance around showed that most everyone else looked as sheepish as he knew he did.

 

Ellen spoke up from her seat. “I think movie night is over.” She didn’t sound angry. In fact, she looked amused by the whole thing.

 

Bobby was muttering under his breath, and Dean had a pretty good idea of what he was saying, and Giles looked like the stern father about to punish everyone.

 

Everyone started talking at once about calling it a night and getting ready for bed. He wished he and Sam were back at the motel room with Gabriel and Cas. It was more private that way. He was stuck sharing space with Cas, Sam, Gabriel, Xander, Anya, and Bobby.

 

Xander and Anya had their own place, but with things getting worse, they had started staying here. He was in a sleeping bag with Cas, stretched to accommodate the both of them thanks to Gabriel, but it wasn’t like they could do anything. They couldn’t have a private conversation because of all the people, and sex was definitely out of the question. They could make out some more, but in the positions they were in now, they would definitely want more.

 

Dean sighed and kissed Cas goodnight. Cas, who didn’t even need sleep, was asleep before he was. Everyone in the room was asleep before he was. He laid awake, nothing really on his mind to keep him up, yet here he was, not even close to falling asleep.

 

“Dean, is something the matter?” Cas’ voice was quieter than usual, but still a far cry from a whisper.

 

“Let’s go talk outside.” He unzipped the sleeping bag and slipped out, Cas right behind him. They stepped over quite a few people before they finally made it to a door and outside.

 

It was another cool night, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. He could see so many stars. It made it hard to believe that there was evil brewing. It seemed so peaceful.

 

“Is something bothering you, Dean?”

 

“No. I just can’t sleep.”

 

“I can help you with that.”

 

“I know, I just wanted some fresh air and some space. It’s crowded in that house.”

 

“I think you’re enjoying yourself.”

 

Dean smiled. “Okay, maybe a little, but it would be nice to have a little privacy when we’re sleeping.”

 

“It is almost over, Dean. Whichever side wins, it is almost over.”

 

Dean let Cas put an arm around him. He rested his head on Cas’ shoulder, and they stood there, looking out at the night sky.


	3. Chapter 3

They looked exactly alike. He could tell them apart because he knew Sam so well, but it was hard. When Sam was standing next to the robot, and they were wearing the same outfit, it was extremely hard to tell them apart. It was easier when they talked. He could distinguish the tones of their voices, no problem at all. For someone like Lucifer, someone who didn’t know Sam the way that Dean did, it should fool him nicely.

 

“Buffy, this guy, Warren, he really does excellent work. I’m his brother and I can barely tell the two of them apart.”

 

“It really is good,” Buffy replied. “But will it stop Lucifer?”

 

It was Gabriel who answered her. “As long as it smells like essence of Sam, Lucifer shouldn’t figure it out until he’s already in the robot.”

 

“And then all we have to do is bind Lucifer to the robot,” continued Willow.

 

“And then shove him back in his cage,” finished Bobby.

 

“How exactly do we shove him back in his cage?” Dean asked.

 

“That’s where Gabriel and I went. We have the key to Lucifer’s cage.”

 

“You mean there’s an actual key.”

 

“That’s right Deano. The rings of the four horsemen combine to make the key for ‘ole Luci’s cage. With it, we can shove him back in and lock it up tight.”

 

“And how exactly do we shove him back in?” Dean asked.

 

“I got Warren to program that into the robot. Once Lucifer is bound with the robot, the robot jumps into the cage,” Buffy replied.

 

“Yeah, but can we trust this Warren guy?”

 

“I checked it over. The robot is programmed to do exactly what we want it to do.” Willow was beaming, like the robot was the most exciting thing ever.

 

“So,” Buffy started, “here’s the plan. Gabriel and Castiel are going to disappear so that Lucifer won’t suspect this is a trap. They’re going to take the real Sam with them so that nothing happens to him. Robot Sam is going to summon Lucifer. Once the robot says yes, Giles, Bobby, Willow, and Tara will start the spell. Anya, Xander and Dawn are going to be reciting the latin that they memorized to exorcise any demons, and Dean, Jo, Ellen and I will be fighting anything else that tries to stop us from this. Is everyone clear?”

 

There was a muttering of agreement and then everyone went off into their little groups to spend some time together before this happened. They were going to do this in a couple of hours, and you could feel the tension in the shop, even as people joked and laughed. They were putting on a show so that no one would think they were scared, but they all knew the truth. Every last one of them was scared.

 

“Cas, let’s go for a walk and get out of here.”

 

“Whatever you want, Dean.”

 

They didn’t talk much as they started their walk. Dean was thinking about the first time he had explained to Buffy about the humans with the black eyes. She had just wanted to slay, not that he could blame her, but she let him show her how to exorcise the demon from the human’s body so that hopefully the human would survive. She had been shocked by what she had seen. Apparently, their worlds had very different demons.

 

Watching Buffy battle a demon while reciting latin was an interesting experience, to say the least. She didn’t pause from the latin to fight, nor did she pause from the fight to recite the latin. She did both simultaneously. Dean had no idea how she was able to do it.

 

He felt Cas slip his hand into his own. For someone who had known so little about human emotions, and human expressions, he’d been awfully good at the relationship stuff. It would seem that whatever Gabriel was telling Cas wasn’t so terrible after all.

 

Suddenly, the sky opened up and started pouring down on them. Lightning flashed around them and thunder boomed, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Cas was staring up at the sky. “This storm is not natural.”

 

“Great. That’s just what we need. Is that stupid robot going to work in this weather?”

 

“I do not know. We should go back to the magic shop and find out.”

 

They made their way back slowly, Cas still holding his hand. Before heading inside the magic shop, Dean tugged Cas to him. He kissed him there in the pouring rain, a hand behind Cas’ neck, and one wrapped around his body. He had never kissed anyone in the rain before, and he had wondered what all of the fuss was about, but there was definitely something to this. He didn’t want to let Cas go.

 

Cas was the one to break the kiss, smiling at Dean and tugging him into the magic shop. Dean was soaking wet and freezing. Gabriel snapped and they were instantly dry, but Dean was still freezing. “Hey Gabriel. Don’t suppose you could snap me up a heating blanket or something.”

 

Gabriel snapped again and Dean was covered with a very warm blanket. His shivering began to recede, and he could think clearly again. “Is that robot going to work properly in this weather?” he asked Buffy.

 

“Willow and Tara are working on a spell now to protect the robot from the weather.”

 

“Good.” Dean headed back to the training room, still covered with the blanket, and sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall. Cas had followed him and sat down next to him.

 

“Are you warm now, Dean?”

 

“I’m getting there.”

 

“Are you ready for this fight?”

 

“I’m ready for this to finally be over.”

 

“As are we all.”

 

“Cas, let’s go on vacation when this is all over. Somewhere tropical where there’s no fighting at all.”

 

“I think we can do that.”

 

Dean smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into Cas, who put an arm around him. They would be putting this plan into action soon. Right now, he just wanted to relax. He relaxed into Cas and let himself fall into a doze.

 

  


 

He had woken up to Cas kissing him. It made it easy to forget what they were about to do. Cas and Gabriel had already left, taking Sam with them. He didn’t like to be separated from his brother like this, but at least he knew Sam was in good hands. It was still pouring outside, which was going to make things more difficult, but at least Willow and Tara had assured them that the robot would still work.

 

He couldn’t remember why they had decided to do this outdoors, but it seemed like a really stupid idea right now. The rain showed no signs of letting up, and there was always the danger of being hit with lightning, or being crushed by a tree that had been hit by lightning.

 

They headed for the cemetery. It seemed fitting, really. Robot Sam walked ahead of them, and when they got to the cemetery, the group hid while they waited for Lucifer to show. When Lucifer finally did show, he couldn’t hear what was going on, but he had a pretty good view, and once Lucifer’s vessel fell to the ground, he knew that the robot had told him yes.

 

Giles, Bobby, Willow, and Tara were chanting. Lucifer must have figured out what was going on, but the binding spell was already holding him in place. He let out a huge howl and it sounded so much like Sammy that Dean nearly ran to him. Thankfully, he was distracted by a couple of vampires.

 

There weren’t many, and they were easily taken out by him and Buffy before Jo and Ellen even had a chance to get to them. He heard demons being exorcised, and turned to find that there was only a handful of those too.

 

Suddenly, all demons were gone and so was the pouring rain. The world around them was bright and sunny, though the grass beneath their feet was still damp. Where Lucifer and the robot had been standing, only Lucifer’s previous vessel remained.

 

“What the hell?”

 

Everyone else was standing there, all of them looking confused.

 

“That’s it? That’s all there was too it? That seemed way too easy.”

 

“I agree,” said Buffy. “Does anyone else feel cheated?” She raised her hand, and everyone else raised theirs too. “You know, I’ve averted a lot of apocalypses, but this was the easiest, and probably the lamest.”

 

“All of that time spent researching, and it was over in just a couple of minutes,” said Willow.

 

They stayed there looking at each other, still in complete disbelief over what had just happened. Gabriel, Cas, and Sam appeared in the cemetery.

 

“Is everyone okay?” Sam asked. Nobody answered him. Dean figured that nobody knew what to say. Sure, they were all okay, but then again, maybe they weren’t. Maybe they were all crazy and this was just something they had all dreamed up. Dean snorted and Sam was suddenly in front of him.

 

“Dean, what happened?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“What do you mean nothing? Lucifer’s back in his cage, right?”

 

“He is.”

 

“Then how could nothing have happened?”

 

“Sam, there were hardly any demons or vampires to fight. It took about two minutes to shove Lucifer back into the cage. So yeah, basically, nothing happened.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“It doesn’t matter how easy it was, you still won and I think we should celebrate.” Gabriel snapped and they were in what appeared to be a huge penthouse suite. “There are multiple bedrooms so all you kiddos can play.” He waggled his eyebrows at Sam who rolled his eyes.

 

The main room was filled with all sorts of food, and music was playing. Dean made a beeline for the food. He was loading up a plate when Cas joined him. “Hey Cas! Have some food.”

 

“Dean, you know I do not require food.”

 

“Cas, we just stopped the apocalypse. Have some food for enjoyment. Find something that you like.”

 

Cas eyed the table of food suspiciously. Dean rolled his eyes and set his plate down. He picked up another plate and selected his favorite pies, cookies, and cakes for Cas to try. They found an empty couch, and as Dean was enjoying his food, he watched as Cas tried the different treats Dean had picked out for him. It was entertaining. For the most part, Cas had liked everything that Dean had picked out for him.

 

They were joined by Gabriel and Sam, and Gabriel kept snapping up more items for Cas to try. Dean looked around the room at everyone talking and laughing and eating, and then looked at how happy Sam was, and how happy he was, and Dean realized that he didn’t want to leave. He liked Sunnydale and its never-ending supply of evil things, but Sunnydale already had a protector. There was no need for him or Sam here, but there would still be people across the country who would need their help. Still, the prospect of being out on the road again wasn’t as exciting as it used to be.

 

He sighed and got up to seek out a bedroom so that he could have some privacy. He should have known better than to expect that he could have some. Sam followed him into the room.

 

“You okay, Dean?”

 

“Fine. Just thinking.”

 

“Careful, Dean, you wouldn’t want to hurt yourself.”

 

“Ha ha. You’re hilarious.”

 

Sam chuckled. “Come on Dean. What’s bugging you?”

 

“I don’t know. I just…like it here.”

 

“Figures that when you decide to put down roots, you would want to do it in a town like Sunnydale.”

 

“Who said anything about putting down roots?”

 

Sam rolled his yes. “Please, Dean. You think you can keep something like that from me?”

 

Dean sighed. “I don’t know about roots, but I really do like it here. It’s been nice staying in a place for longer than a few days or a couple of weeks.”

 

“Dean, I like it here too.”

 

“We can’t stay though.”

 

“And why not? Who’s to say that we can’t stay here? Don’t you think we deserve a break?”

 

“Maybe for a couple of weeks, but can you honestly say you could just forget about all the evil all over the country that will kill innocent people if we aren’t there to stop it?”

 

“We could always go by Angel Express.” Sam was smirking at him. He knew how much Dean hated when Cas took him somewhere like that. Then again, if he could stay in Sunnydale…

 

Could they do it? Could they really stay in Sunnydale? Sam could research from his laptop here, and if Cas and Gabriel took them, they could stay in a town for a couple of days, but then be right back to Sunnydale. It might be worth it, to travel that way, if it meant staying. Would he get bored staying in one place though?

 

“What happens when we get restless?”

 

“Dean, it’s not like Sunnydale is going anywhere. We could always come back.”

 

“I don’t know, Sam.”

 

“You should think about it Dean. I certainly wouldn’t mind staying, but if you want to go, you know I’ll go with you.” Sam got up and left the room, leaving Dean to his thoughts.

 

They could do it. They could try living a semi normal life. Life would never be normal in Sunnydale. It was probably why he could see sticking around. Anywhere else would probably get too boring. Life on the hellmouth. It wasn’t a bad way to live. And he would still have Sam by his side.

 

Cas walked into the room, locking the door behind him. “What were you and Sam discussing?”

 

“The possibility of staying in Sunnydale.”

 

“You mean like starting a life here and not traveling the roads anymore?”

 

“Yeah, but with the possibility of traveling the roads every once in a while. We were thinking that we could do all of our research here, and then you and Gabriel could take us to wherever we needed to go. Then, if Sam or I got antsy, we could take the Impala and head out on the road. Sunnydale would still be here when we got back.”

 

“Dean, are you sure about this?”

 

“No. Not really. I’m still thinking about it.”

 

“Maybe you should stop thinking about it for a while.” Cas walked over to him and pushed him down on the bed. Dean scooted up the bed, and Cas covered his body with his own. Cas was kissing him then, and all thoughts of staying in Sunnydale flew from his mind as he returned the kiss.

He felt Cas tugging at his t-shirt, and when Cas pulled away, he lifted his arms so Cas could pull it over his head. Dean sighed at all of the clothes he was going to have to take off of Cas, again. “Cas, you really need to wear less clothes.”

 

“There is an easy way to do this.” All of Cas’ clothes vanished, and when Dean looked down his body, his clothes had vanished as well.

 

“I think I like your way better.”

 

Cas smiled at him and leaned back down so he could kiss him again. Then Cas was kissing his neck, and then sucking on it exactly in the same spot that Dean had with Cas just the other night. Cas slowly kissed his way down to Dean’s chest, and Dean realized that Cas was intending to do everything to Dean that Dean had done to him.

 

Dean threaded his fingers through Cas’ hair and moaned as Cas started sucking at one of his nipples. No girl had ever taken her time with Dean like this. It had always been Dean doing all of the giving. It was nice being the one on the receiving end. He was learning stuff about himself as well. Like the fact that he apparently really loved having his nipples suckled. His hands were holding Cas’ head to his chest He didn’t want Cas to stop what he was doing. Pleasure raced through his body, and he had a feeling that if Cas tried, Dean could come just from this.

 

Cas broke out of Dean’s hold on him, unsurprisingly, and kissed his way down Dean’s body. Dean sucked in a breath when Cas took him into his mouth. For someone who was still so inexperienced as Cas, he really knew what he was doing. And he hadn’t even had the pleasure of multiple blowjobs before, just the two that Dean had give him.

 

Dean was babbling. He wasn’t sure anything he was saying made any sense, and he didn’t care. Cas’ mouth felt indescribable. He bucked hard into Cas’ mouth, and realized that Cas had no gag reflex. That did it for Dean. He came so hard that he thought he might pass out.

 

When he was finally able to open his eyes, Cas was hovering over him, watching him, smiling. Dean pulled him down for a kiss. He could taste himself on Cas. It wasn’t disgusting like he thought it might be, just like swallowing Cas’ come hadn’t been disgusting. He didn’t think there was anything they could do together that Dean wouldn’t like.

 

So lost in the kiss, Dean started when he felt a teasing finger at his hole. Cas broke the kiss. “Is this not okay, Dean?”

 

“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t ready for it.”

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Cas went back to kissing him, and slowly pushed a finger into him. It burned, but it was a good burn. He could already feel the pleasure, and he knew once the burn was gone, there would be nothing but pleasure. Slowly, Cas slid in a second finger, stretching Dean. He breathed through the stretch and then Cas found his prostate. He cried out as his body arched off the bed. He felt himself fucking himself on Cas’ fingers, not even aware that he had started doing that. It felt incredible, better than he had expected.

 

When Cas removed his fingers Dean let out a whimper that shocked him. But Cas had only pulled away so that he could slick up something much more fun to put inside of Dean. Dean grinned when he felt Cas’ blunt head at his entrance. He was excited for this, and that shocked him. He had so easily fallen into bed with a guy when it was something he had never even considered before Cas.

 

Cas thrust in and Dean groaned. He pulled Cas down to him so that he could kiss him, and Cas started a steady thrusting. He ran his hands along Cas’ skin, wanting to touch as much as he could and to never stop touching. Pleasure that he hadn’t even known existed shot through his body.

 

He was hard again, and he could feel his orgasm fast approaching. He kissed Cas more deeply, running his hands along Cas’ back. He cried out into Cas’ mouth, orgasm hitting him hard even though his cock had been completely untouched. Cas wasn’t far behind him, collapsing onto Dean after he had come.

 

Dean lay there, taking Cas’ weight easily, thinking about what had just happened, and learning something else about himself that he never would have expected. Sex with girls meant you were always the top. Turns out, what Dean really liked, was to be fucked. Dean was a bottom. He hoped Sam never found out because he would hold that over his head for the rest of their lives.

 

Cas finally rolled off of him and onto his back. Dean rolled onto his side, resting his head on Cas’ chest, his fingers idly tracing patterns along Cas’ torso.

 

“Dean, you preferred that, didn’t you?”

 

“Yeah, I did. Just don’t tell anyone.”

 

“Why would I tell anyone?”

 

“I’m just sayin’, Cas.”

 

“I think I preferred that way too, Dean.”

 

Dean smiled and rested his hand next to his face. He could get used to this. Going to bed with Cas, waking up next to Cas, and he knew he wanted to do it here, in Sunnydale. There was no longer a doubt in his mind.

 

“Cas, I want this. I want all of this.”

 

“You wish to stay in Sunnydale?”

 

“As long as you’ll stay with me.”

 

“Of course I will, Dean.”

 

They lay together quietly for a while, Dean thinking about this new life he was going to try. He was excited and nervous. He’d been on the road for so long he wasn’t sure he knew how to live this kind of life. It would be good though, and he knew Sam would enjoy it even more than him, and Sam’s happiness was more important than his own.

 

It was later that evening when they finally got dressed and walked out to the main room. Anya and Xander, and Willow and Tara were nowhere to be found. He was surprised to see that Sam and Gabriel were still hanging around. They went over to talk to them, and Gabriel pulled Cas to the side. They talked in hushed voices before finally walking over to where Spike and Buffy stood.

 

Curious, he and Sam followed them over.

 

“Spike, Buffy; Gabriel and I would like to give you a gift.”

 

“A gift? Castiel, you don’t need to do that.”

 

“Buffy, we can give Spike his soul back.”

 

Everyone that was in the room stopped talking and was now paying attention to what Cas was saying.

 

“My soul? But then I would suffer remembering all of the terrible things I’ve done as a vampire, right?”

 

“Actually, we can heal your soul, give you a fresh start.”

 

“So would I forget everything I’ve done without my soul?”

 

“No, not everything. Just all of the bad that you’ve done. And even if you were to remember, the suffering would be less.”

 

“How can you even do that?”

 

Gabriel was the one who answered him. “Because I am just that awesome.” He was smirking and Dean couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

 

Spike turned his attention to Buffy. “Is this what you would like, love?”

 

“Spike, only do it if you want to do it.”

 

“Will you love me if I have a soul?”

 

“Spike, I already love you.” Buffy had whispered the confession, but everyone in the room had heard it. Nobody was surprised. Dean no longer thought it was strange. Spike had worked by their side relentlessly. He hadn’t been in on the actual fight though because they had done it in daylight, and even with the storm, nobody could trust that the sun wouldn’t show. When Gabriel had snapped them all to this place, he had grabbed Spike as well. Spike could be a good man. He saw it.

 

“Do it then,” he said to Cas and Gabriel.

 

There was a collective gasp as a bright light appeared in Cas’ hands. He held them in front of Gabriel, who held his hands out to the light, eyes closed, apparently in deep concentration.

 

Gabriel let his hands down when he was done, opening his eyes and smiling at Spike. Cas walked up to Spike and held the bright light against Spike’s chest. It disappeared and they waited for something else to happen, but nothing did.

 

“Is that all?”

 

“Yes, Dean. It is done.” Cas replied.

 

“Oh wait just a second there, Spikey boy. We have one more gift for you.” Gabriel handed Spike a ring. “Wear that. It’s only befitting that you be able to take Buffy on proper dates.”

 

“You mean I can go out in the sun with this thing on?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Buffy wrapped her arms around Spike. “We don’t know how to thank you guys.”

 

“You don’t have to,” Cas answered. “It was our pleasure. We consider you our friends now.”

 

Buffy smiled and pulled Spike with her to a more private corner of the room. Cas and Gabriel rejoined him and Sam.

 

“That was really nice what you guys did.”

 

Gabriel shrugged. “It was no big deal, Deano. Spike worked by our side. He’s not such a bad guy.”

 

“Dean, have you made a decision yet?” Sam asked him.

 

“Actually, yes I have. I want to stay here in Sunnydale, with you, with Cas, and even with Gabriel.”

 

Gabriel slung an arm around Dean’s neck, pulling him down and giving him a noogie. “Aw, Dean, you do like me.”

 

“Damn it, Gabriel, get off of me.”

 

Gabriel laughed and let Dean go. “You know, Dean, if we team up, we’d be an unstoppable force when it comes to prank wars.”

 

“Oh hell no!” Sam exclaimed.

 

Gabriel gave Dean a look that meant that he didn’t care what Sam said, they would be teaming up for the best pranks known to man. Dean smiled at the thought. It would be like having an older brother, and he was okay with that.

 

He and Cas walked back to the bedroom they had occupied earlier. Cas made their clothes vanish, and they crawled under the covers together. They were lying on their sides, facing each other. Their bodies were a tangle of limbs, and they were kissing. Dean sighed into the kiss, running a hand through Cas’ hair when he thought of something. He knew that Cas knew that he loved him, but he wasn’t sure he had actually said it.

 

“Hey Cas,” he murmured against Cas’ lips.

 

“Yes, Dean.”

 

“I don’t think I actually said it to you earlier, but I love you. I just wanted you to hear me say that.”

 

“Dean, I love you too.” Cas went back to kissing him.

 

He knew he had made the right choice to stay here in Sunnydale. He would patrol with Buffy at night, and maybe find a job as a mechanic. He would work, he would have dinner with friends and family, and he would still hunt, just a little differently now. It was going to be a good life, and as he drifted off in Cas’ arms, he finally found himself agreeing with Cas. He deserved this. He and Sam deserved to live a happy life like this. Yeah, staying in Sunnydale was definitely the right thing to do.


End file.
